As an AEW Fan, I’m Buying WWE 2K26 to Save Mariah May From Her Terrible Booking

Naturally, it’s for this reason that I was disappointed when Mariah May — now Blake Monroe — left my company of choice for a brand I can’t bring myself to support. I understand that it was her decision and her dream to go to WWE, and I’m glad she’s seemingly happy there. It's great to have options so that wrestlers can thrive in whatever system suits them best. But from all the clips I’ve seen so far, her WWE run hasn’t just been disappointing, but insulting. Going from my 2025 match of the year, the Hollywood Ending with Toni Storm, to a by-the-books cage match that wasn’t nearly as intense, was an early sign. The awkward kickout error on a recent episode of NXT wouldn’t have happened if Mariah were on the main roster where she belongs from the start, but perhaps worst of all is the character Mariah has been stuck with.

Image via WWE

Perhaps WWE was fearful of her gimmick being too similar to Tiffany Stratton's, and Mariah May not connecting with fans because of that, but turning Blake Monroe into “we have Toni Storm at home” was definitely not the way to go. Seeing her don similar clothing to Toni while trying to play an unhinged character is painfully awkward, as the attempts completely lack the things that make the Timeless character so special. It’s insulting that WWE looked at the great work Mariah May did in AEW — including excellent matches against stars like Willow Nightingale — and chose to shape her character as a cheap version of her greatest rival. This makes it look as if WWE didn't really want Mariah at all, instead just wanting to stick it to AEW by taking one of its top stars. The cheesy filming and overly scripted nature of the promos directly goes against the unpredictability of the character WWE is making Mariah mimic, and every time I see what’s being done with one of my favorite women in wrestling, I actually cringe. So, if I ever do get WWE 2K26, the first thing I’ll be doing is fixing my issues with Mariah May’s booking.

WWE 2K26's MyGM Mode Remains a Godsend for Frustrated Fans

Some of the many fumbles of AEW Fight Forever were the lack of a deep create-a-wrestler or a GM mode, two things that the WWE 2K games have mastered. I’d use both to book Mariah May the way I wish she was being used. First, I’d drop the Blake Monroe name. Yes, it’s a simple change, but Mariah May was associated with great work and arguably the best rivalry in women’s wrestling history. Blake Monroe, on the other hand, is associated with an awkward Jordynne Grace feud that both women came out of looking weaker, a botched kickout, and an obvious attempt to reshape a character that didn’t need changing to begin with. More bluntly, it’s also just a much less catchy name, as something similar to her previous ring name would have been far better. I know why WWE renames its stars — it wants to own their body of work — but it’s yet another thing about the overly corporate company I can’t stand, as it regularly limits the opportunities of its talent. So, it’s the first thing I’d change.

I’d also alter Mariah May’s attire to remove any aspects of Toni-like traits. She has her own personality that WWE should be leaning on (her “nepo baby” jab at Ava Raine on social media was genuinely hilarious), so I’d do away with anything even hinting at the NXT promos where she talks into a mirror and acts like a knockoff Toni Storm. It’s also worth noting that one of the most entertaining moments of her feud with AEW’s biggest star saw them impersonating each other, and Mariah did a fine job playing Toni there. This suggests that WWE’s writing, directing, and scripting are to blame here, as if the company did want a Toni Storm copy, Mariah could theoretically deliver that. Instead, she’s in this weird middle ground where only some aspects of Toni Storm’s gimmick are stolen. So, if it were up to me, these elements would be completely removed in favor of bringing back the “old” Mariah and being herself.

Image via 2K

Like most of my current favorite wrestlers — Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, Darby Allin, Hangman Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, MJF, Toni Storm, Kris Statlander, and Mercedes Mone are some of the many AEW stars I love — I became a Mariah May fan primarily because of her in-ring work. Yes, her betrayal of Toni Storm was unforgettable, and the lead-up to it was hugely entertaining to watch unfold, but seeing Mariah dropkick her opponents’ heads off never got old. She’s a great wrestler, and unfortunately, WWE’s overly safe and repetitive style of matches doesn’t play to her strengths. In a video game, though, I could book the epic matches I got used to seeing from Mariah on AEW TV each week, and I wouldn’t waste time getting her off of NXT and onto the main roster like WWE has been doing. Below are just some of the feuds I’d get Mariah May into:

• Rhea Ripley — two contrasting styles that could make for some fun matches
• Bayley — a fun feud that I’d like to see before Bayley inevitably goes to AEW
• Tiffany Stratton — embrace their similar vibes instead of ruining Mariah’s character
• Stephanie Vaquer —can play into how both came to WWE primarily as a result of their AEW work, leaning into how Vaquer has found more success and did so fast while Mariah has struggled, breaking the fourth wall a bit for some shoot-like promos
• Bianca Belair — a phenomenal in-ring performer, a match between Bianca and Mariah would be a guaranteed banger

It Wouldn’t Take Long For My AEW Bias to Show if I purchased WWE 2K26, But I’d Regret Nothing

Image via AEW

As consistently great as AEW is, Fight Forever wasn’t anywhere near the game it needed to be. Even with its fairly expensive DLC packs, it’s still lacking some of the company’s biggest stars, as Mercedes Mone, Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada remain unplayable. Fortunately, with custom rosters in WWE 2K26, I could download and make custom versions of all my favorites. This means that I could give Mariah May some matches I’m still disappointed we didn’t get a chance to see before she left. Kris Statlander, Mercedes Mone, Athena, and Jamie Hayter are all opponents I wish we saw May feud with while she was a part of AEW, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Alex Windsor, Thekla, Megan Bayne — the pool of talent on the women’s roster has rapidly grown since Mariah jumped ship.

I’d rather not give WWE money if I didn’t have to — I wish more legends and current stars would stand up to the morally corrupt company like Mick Foley recently did — but if I can find a used copy, maybe I’d pick it up to fill the void left by the lack of a high quality (and current) AEW game. And sure, WWE has some stars I really respect, like Bayley, Ilja Dragunov, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and Rhea Ripley, but I’d love to fill out a custom roster with AEW stars. If I did, I could treat WWE 2K26 like the game I wish AEW had. Still, my first priority would be giving Mariah May the treatment I feel she should be getting.

Thus far, Mariah May’s run as Blake Monroe feels cursed by Toni Storm’s words in their final promo battle. She "sentenced Mariah to a lifetime of mediocrity," and her run thus far has indeed been mediocre. Yes, the Toni feud set a bar that may never be passed by either woman, but the WWE version of Mariah hasn’t come close to said bar. I don’t think she’s to blame for this; WWE’s lack of freedom in promos, strict rules for matches that prevent them from being violent when they need to be, and the direction she’s being told to take her character in are all contributors to why Blake Monroe hasn’t clicked. If Mariah May is happy with how her run is going, more power to her, but everything I’ve seen has only added to my dislike for WWE. Mariah didn’t waste a second of her few years in AEW, yet her first year in WWE has seen her treading water on NXT when she should have been on Raw or Smackdown from day one. While a more bitter AEW fan could say it’s karma for her using AEW as a stepping stone, as someone who was once a big Mariah fan, I’m just disappointed in her wasted potential. It shouldn’t take a video game for her to be booked well, but for some odd reason, that’s the situation we seem to be in.